Valve for aerosols



Aug. 7, 1962 w. J. BOEGLY 3,048,306

VALVE FOR AEROSOLS Filed Nov. 28, 1958 INVENTOR WILLIAM J. BOEGLY ATTORNEY I 3,048,306 Patented Aug. 7, 1962 3,048,306 VALVE FOR AEROSOLS William J. Boegly, East Greenbush, N.Y., assignor to Sterling Drug Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware ,Filed Nov. 28, 1958, Ser. No. 776,937

' 1 Claim. (Cl. 222-394) leakage thereof. Aerosol valves of the class described comprise generally a diaphragm, a valve stem sealed by the diaphragm, the stem being movable relative to the diaphragm to open or close .the valve so that the material under pressure in the container is either cut off or allowed to escape through the valve stem, and a spring which normally maintains the valve stem with relation to the diaphragm in a closed but yielding position. Under conditions of use, the valve stem is sometimes excessively pushed by the spring, or pulled by some external force so that it engages with the diaphragm, distorting the same and thereby allowing leakage of the container contents between the valve stem and the diaphragm. fIhe present invention provides novel means preventing such interengagement between the valve stem and the diaphragm so as to prevent leakage of this type.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the appended claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is a view in elevation illustrating a valve made according to the present invention, part being broken FIG. 2 is a vertical section therethrough on an enlarged scale to illustrate the construction of the device;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the operation thereof; and

FIG. 4 is a section on line 44 of FIG. 2.

' Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown the cap in the general form of a cylinder which is adapted to be applied in any desired way to a bottle, jar, or other container and in substantially air-tight relation with respect thereto. The cap 10 is generally hollow and provides a base for the valve itself. The cap has a reduced portion 12 also generally cylindricaLthe same having a closed top and a crirnped portion '14, 14 which holds the valve parts in place in the cap as will be made more clear hereinafter.

The valve stem is generally indicated at 16 and is hollow as shown in FIG. 2 having an orifice at one end thereof as at 18, that is an exit orifice, and an inlet at 20, and this valve stem may be provided with a thumb-piece or actuator v22 having an orifice 23 if desired or convenient.

The valve stem is held in assembled relation by means of a rubber-like resilient flexible diaphragm 24 which is generally circular and conforms to the portion 12 of the cap. This diaphragm is received in an annular flange portion 26 of a valve housing generally indicated at 28, and the flange 26 and diaphragm 24 are held by the crimped portions 14 against the top surface of the cap 12, so that the diaphragm as well as the valve housing are maintained in fixed relation at all times with respect to the cap 10. The diaphragm 24 grips the valve stem and forms a seal therefor.

The valve housing 28 is conveniently held in position against lateral motion within cap 10 by means of a rubber-like diaphragm at 30. This diaphragm forms a sealing means between the interior of the container which is exposed thereto. .T he container is also in communication with the interior of the valve housing 28 by reason of a flat area at 3-2 on the valve stem depending portion which is indicated at 34, this portion being reduced in size and being provided with a compression spring 36 which surrounds the same.

' Compression spring 36 bears at its lower end on a washer 38 engaging a gasket 40 and providing for axial rectilinear motion only of the entire valve stem guided as it is by gasket 40 and the diaphragm 24 in its motion up and down in FIG. 2 to close and open the valve respectively. The stem slides in the diaphragm 24 while being gripped thereby to form a seal for the stem.

The reduced portion 32 of the valve stem is provided with an enlarged portion as at 42 and the spring 36 normally bears against this portion at the end opposite the gasket 40. The spring 36 is held under compression by means of the diaphragm .24 and gasket 40, so that the flat portion 32 of the valve stem always extends into the container itself. Nevertheless, when downward pressure is applied to the valve stem 18, the entrance orifice 20 is disposed within the valve housing 28 so that communication is provided from the interior of the aerosol container to the exterior thereof at 18 or 23 as the case may be.

Inter-posed between the enlargement 42 and the rubberlike diaphragm 24, there is a stainless steel washer 44 which comprises in general the principal portion of the This stainless steel washer is engaged "this provides a strengthening means preventing accidental engagement of the enlarged portion at 42 with the material of the diaphragm 24. Such engagement distorts the diaphragm and allows leakage of the contents of the aerosol container to the atmosphere so that the prior art valve is liable to failure in this respect.

The novel washer is annular and closely engages the valve stem 16, and forms an inexpensive but very eflicient abutment means preventing the spring 36 from pushing the valve stem into engagement with the diaphragm as aforesaid. The washer also prevents displacement of the valve stem as by a pulling action on the exposed portion of the valve stem 16 by accidental means, which of course results in engagement of the valve stem with the diaphragm and consequent leaking.

By this construction, the metering valve is made to act in an efiicient and uniform manner without leakage. By the relatively simple and inexpensive application of the stainless steel washer in the position indicated, one of the most pressing problems involved in aerosol valves of the class described has been completely done away with so that this type of valve is made very inexpensively and yet is efficient in action and non-leaking even under adverse conditions of pressure or pulling action on the valve stem.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

A metering valve for controlling the discharge of fluid under pressure from a container, and a cap for the container, said valve comprising a generally cylindrical tubular valve housing including a relatively restricted portion having an open end communicating with the inside of the container, said housing also including another portion, a first resilient rubber-like diaphragm mounted on, said housing in the said other portion thereof, means holding the diaphragm and the adjacent end of the housing in fixed position with respect to the cap, a second diaphragm spaced below the first diaphragm and fixed to the housing and mounting the housing on the container, said second diaphragm holding the housing against lateral motion therein, a valve stem mounted in said valve housing for sliding motion axially thereof, said valve stem having a cylindrical portion slidable in the first-named diaphragm and projecting from the container through the cap, said first-named diaphragm gripping the exterior of the valve stem and forming a sliding seal therewith, said valve stem having an enlarged portion intermediate the ends thereof, an inwardly directed flange on the housing at the open end thereof, a spring on the valve stem engaging the enlarged portion of the stem and the flange, said spring tending to maintain the valve stem in outward closed position relative to the valve housing and the first-named diaphragm, and a flat washer located in the said other portion of the valve housing and under said first-named diaphragm and surrounding the valve stem, said washer forming an abutment covering a substantial area of said first-named diaphragm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,112,548 Wilson Mar. 29, 1938 2,658,714 Fooshee Nov. 10, 1953 2,721,010 Meshberg Oct. 18, 1955 2,729,364 Malko Jan. 3, 1956 2,837,249 Meshberg June 3, 1958 2,858,053 Waldherr Oct. 28, 1958 2,886,217 Thiel May 12, 1959 2,932,432 Beard Apr. 12, 1960 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,048,306 August 7, 1962 William J. Boegly It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2, line 11, after "and" insert by column 4,

line 3, for "exces" read excessive motion of the valve stem outwardly relative to the Signed and sealed this 8th day of January 1963.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST w. SWIDER DAVID LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

